Dick Strawbridge

“When I started presenting 'Scrapheap Challenge,' I was rubbish at tuning V8 engines.”

“All insulation takes energy to make it, but that is not a reason not to invest in it. The savings, for both the planet and the bank account, can be impressive.”

“As one of seven children, our family life was full of energy and fun - we all knew how to laugh and work hard.”

“I was still a serving officer when I competed in 'Scrapheap Challenge,' initially as a major and then a lieutenant-colonel when I was joined by my brothers in a team called 'Brothers in Arms.'”

“When you work with people, you buy into it, you work together and you pull together. It doesn't matter what your challenge is: there's a sense of achievement at the end of it.”

“Who doesn't like playing with a railway? I think we've all got Thomas the Tank Engine in our blood.”

“I passed the 11-plus and went up to the senior school, where my two older sisters had already gone. I was in the 'A' stream, but in the third year, they asked me to give up Latin; no one had ever got 7 per cent before.”

“I was quite capable at school, but I spent a lot of time in detention.”

“I have always thought of myself as being Northern Irish because that's what I am.”

“When I joined the Army in the late '70s, there was a real threat from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, so all of the '80s, I was engaged in what could be classed as conventional operations - that involved digging lots of trenches in Germany.”

“I could never work out how to shave my top lip without cutting myself.”

“We forget the importance of engineering, but it's been used to design everything from St. Paul's Cathedral to The Shard.”

“There was always laughter in our house. And I have great memories of my dad making an Ulster fry on a Saturday morning. They were legendary even though he couldn't really cook.”

“I love a challenge and a bit of fun.”

“I just think our British cuisine and the different influences we pull together make it special when it comes to food.”

“I love the whole idea of family and what gets left behind when you are gone. I'm very proud of my children; I was one of seven.”

“I had an idyllic childhood with the freedom to go and play.”

“Cooking is about ingredients.”

“All insulation is environmentally friendly. Some installation has better environmental credentials, but what matters is the energy it saves.”

“For me, London seemed to be frantic without going anywhere.”